Ghostbusters x Men in Black: Ecto-terrestrial Invasion Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Summary
• Components
• Description of Components
  • Heroes
  • Enemies
  • The Firehouse
  • Hero Card
  • Weapon and Equipment Cards
  • Player Dashboard
  • Game Tiles
  • Spawn Point Tokens
  • Employee of the Week Badge
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • Round Overview
  • Player Phase
  • Player Actions
  • Activating Spawn Points
  • Bid-Offs
  • Hero Attacks
  • Team-Up Attacks
  • Crossing the Streams
  • Resting
  • Solo Play
• Hot Sheets Phase
  • Check the Hot Sheets
  • Check PKE Levels
• Psychokinetic Disruptions
• Ecto-Terrestrial Phase
  • Ecto-Terrestrials
  • Boss Enemies
• End of Round
  • Employee of the Week Badge (End of Round)
• Hero Defeat
• End of Episode
  • Campaign Performance Bonuses
  • Gaining New Weapons and Equipment
• The Next Episode
  • Saving Your Campaign
• One-Shot Episodes / Skipping Ahead
• Keywords
• Sequence of Play
• Quick Reference (Summary Card Text)

Game Summary

In Ghostbusters x Men In Black: Ecto-Terrestrial Invasion, one to four players each control teams consisting of one Ghostbuster and one MIB agent. Players must work together to defeat the alien invasion, playing through a campaign of linked scenarios, all while battling Zorg and his ghoulish minions. Along the way, players will discover new tech, giving them the chance to upgrade their weapons and equipment. But while the teams are working together to defeat the Ecto-Terrestrial menace, only one team can be "the best of the best of the best" and receive the coveted Employee of the Week badge!

Components

The game contains the following components:

• Heroes: Peter, Egon, Ray and Winston (Ghostbusters); Agent J, Agent K, Agent L and Chief Zed (MIB). Each has a Hero model.
• Enemy models: 10 Grunts, 10 Shooters, 8 Drainers (Basic ETs); Zorg-Puft, Grapplegore and Tenta-Kill (Bosses).
• Firehouse Dice Tower with 8 Ship Panels and 16 Tower Dice.
• 8 Hero Dice.
• 9 Double Sided Game Tiles.
• 4 Player Dashboards.
• 8 Hero Cards and 3 Boss Cards.
• 5 Reference Cards.
• 32 Gadget Cards.
• 32 Hot Sheets Cards and 6 Disastrous Hot Sheets Cards.
• 10 Level 1 Weapon Cards, 10 Level 2 Weapon Cards, 10 Level 3 Weapon Cards, and 8 Starting Weapon Cards.

Description of Components

Heroes

Heroes are the Ghostbusters and MIB agents controlled by the players. Each Hero has a Hero Card, a Starting Weapon, and a unique Hero Ability.

• Ghostbusters: Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore.
• MIB: Agent J, Agent K, Agent L and Chief Zed.

Enemies

There are three Basic Enemy Models and three Boss Models.

• Basic Enemies: Grunts (small, simple-minded and extremely aggressive monsters, focused on close combat); Shooters (prefer to eliminate their enemies from a distance with their ecto-plasma rifles); Drainers (brutish enforcers, equipped with power gloves, who are at their best when using their might to steal energy and inflict pain).
• Boss Enemies: Tenta-Kill (a menacing beast filled with electrical energy, used to power the Ch'zadi's main generators); Grapplegore (an enormous monster nearly impervious to damage); Zorg-Puft (a combination of Gozer the Gozerian and Zorg, the captain of the Ch'zadi).

The Firehouse

The alien warship Ch'zadi has crashed into the Firehouse Tower that serves as the Ghostbusters' headquarters! The resulting damage has caused Psychokinetic Energy (PKE) spikes in the area, and the Ecto-Terrestrials from the alien vessel are now overrunning New York City.

Tower Assembly: Wrap the sides of the tower around the base, then place the 8 Alien Ship Panels into the tower.

Dice: Green Tower Dice are placed into the Firehouse Tower, and are used to determine which enemies arrive to face our heroes when Psychokinetic Disruptions occur. Each die contains symbols representing the PKE wavelengths of the three Basic ETs (Grunt, Shooter, or Drainer), as well as one side that is a CRIT. The CRIT symbol indicates a massive surge of PKE! The effects of these dice are discussed further in the "Psychokinetic Disruptions" (Page 25).

Black Hero Dice have the same symbols as the Tower Dice, and are used by the players whenever they roll dice. More information regarding the use of Hero Dice can be found in the following sections: "Hero Attacks" (page 20), "ET Attacks" (page 26) and "Check The Hot Sheets" (page 24).

Hero Card

1. Health: This value represents the number of Wounds that a Hero can take before they are Defeated.
2. Defense: This value represents the number of Hero Dice a Hero rolls when defending against ET Attacks.
3. Hero Ability: Each Hero has their own unique Hero Ability. If a game rule and a Hero Ability contradict each other, the Hero Ability takes precedence.

Weapon and Equipment Cards

Weapons. Each Weapon has three values, a faction, and sometimes a special ability:

1. Attack: This value determines how many Hero Dice to roll when using the Weapon to Attack an ET.
2. Range: This value determines how many squares away from the Hero that the Weapon can target.
3. Battery: This value represents the number of Arquillian Battery Cells that are used when firing the Weapon.
4. Special Abilities: Any special abilities that a Weapon may have are stated here.
5. Faction: Designates whether it can be used by an MIB or a Ghostbusters Hero. Weapons may not be equipped to a character of the other faction.

Starting Weapon. A Hero's Starting Weapon will be indicated by the character's name on the front of the card, as well as the character's picture on the back of the card. For example, Peter's Particle Thrower will be the Starting Weapon for Peter Venkman.

Player Dashboard

1. Hero Card Placements.
2. Equipment Slots.
3. Traps: This section of the dashboard is where Heroes place the Traps that they gain during the game. Ghostbusters can carry three Traps, while MIB can only carry two Traps.
4. Battery: This section of the dashboard is where Heroes place Battery Tokens that they will use during the game.
5. Point Tracker: This section of the dashboard is used to keep track of points gained by a player's Team.

Game Tiles

Game tiles represent the various sections of New York City that the Heroes are trying to save. Each tile consists of 9 squares, and each square has 4 spaces. Each model takes up the following capacity:

• Heroes, Grunts, Shooters: 1 space
• Drainers: 2 spaces
• Boss ETs: 4 spaces

Most tiles contain buildings and walls that models cannot move through.

Spawn Point Tokens

Spawn Point Tokens represent areas of the city where a spike of PKE signatures has occurred. When enemies spawn onto the board, they are placed onto these points.

Spawn Point Tokens have a green Active side and a black and white Inactive side. A Spawn Point is Inactive while it is not accessible to the Heroes, and may become Active as the Heroes open doors around the board.

Employee of the Week Badge

This badge is given to the player with the most points at a given time. When a player passes the score of the current holder of the badge, it is passed to the new leader. The player that holds the Employee of the Week badge when the Episode ends is declared the winner!

Setup

A. For their first game, the players choose one of the Level 1 Episodes in the Campaign Book. Players may choose to jump to a specific episode as described in "One-Shot Episodes" (page 31). When continuing a campaign game, look up the next unplayed Episode in the Campaign Book.

B. Set up the Tower.

• Insert the 8 Ship Panels into the Tower.
• Load the Firehouse Tower with 10 Tower Dice. If dice roll out while loading the Tower, place those dice back into the Tower. Leave the extra Tower Dice near the base of the Tower.

C. Each player receives a Player Dashboard.

D. For the first game, the player who has most recently seen an alien or ghost is rewarded with the First Player Token and Employee of the Week badge. When continuing a Campaign, the player who won Employee of the Week in the previous Episode will begin this Episode with the First Player token and Employee of the Week badge.

E. The player with the First Player Token chooses one Ghostbuster Hero. The other players then will each choose one Ghostbuster Hero, in clockwise order. When continuing a campaign, players take the Hero card for the Ghostbuster they've been playing.

F. The last player chooses one MIB Hero. The other players then will each choose one MIB Hero, in counter-clockwise order. When continuing a campaign, players take the Hero card for the MIB they've been playing.

G. Place each Hero's Starting Weapon Card onto their Dashboard. Each Hero must always have at least 1 Weapon and no more than 4 Weapons and Equipment combined. A Hero may only equip one of each piece of equipment by name (no duplicates). When continuing a campaign, instead each player gathers their team's purchased Weapons and Equipment Cards and assigns them to their heroes by placing them onto the Dashboard.

H. Each player places Battery Tokens equal to their Heroes' maximum Battery capacity on their Dashboard. Heroes start with 6 batteries, and can be modified by equipment and special abilities.

I. Place Tiles, Doors, Gadgets, Spawn Points, and Objectives according to the Episode being played.

J. The First Player chooses a starting location based on the map for the Episode, and places both of their Heroes on it. Each other player does the same in clockwise order. Up to two Teams can be placed on one starting location.

K. Spawn ETs onto any Active Spawn Points. Choose any Active Spawn Point location. Roll three dice for a 3-4 Player session, or two dice for a 1-2 Player session. Place the enemy models matching the PKE symbols on the dice onto the chosen Spawn Point.

• If any CRITs are rolled, place a Drainer onto the Spawn Point and drop Tower Dice equal to the number of CRITs rolled into the Firehouse Tower. If a Tower Die falls out of the Tower during setup, place the die back into the Tower.
• Repeat this for all remaining Active Spawn Points.

L. Shuffle Gadget Cards and place the Gadget Card Deck next to the play area. Each player then draws one Gadget Card, keeping it hidden from the other players.

M. Place the Hot Sheets / PKE Dashboard next to the play area. Place a PKE Tracker Token on the "0" space of each of the three PKE Tracks.

N. Set aside the Disastrous Hot Sheets (red fronts). Shuffle the remaining Hot Sheets Deck and place it on the Hot Sheets / PKE Dashboard. When continuing a campaign you may have been instructed to add a Disastrous Hot Sheet to your deck.

The printed Setup Example (page 15) is a board diagram with the letters A to N keyed to the steps above.

Note: You'll need various tokens and dice throughout your plays of Ghostbusters x Men in Black: Ecto-Terrestrial Invasion. Keep the extra tokens nearby to use as needed.

Gameplay

Round Overview

Ghostbusters x Men in Black is played in a series of rounds, where each player takes a turn.

1. Player Phase
   • Each player takes a turn activating and attacking with their team.
   • Optionally instead of taking a turn a player may choose to have their team Rest.
2. Hot Sheets Phase
   • Check the Hot Sheets: Reveal one or more Hot Sheets Cards from the top of the Hot Sheets Deck and resolve the effects.
   • Check the PKE levels: If any has reached level 3, an explosion happens at the firehouse.
3. Ecto-Terrestrial Phase (ET Phase):
   • All the ETs on the board move, then fight the heroes.

Player Phase

• At the beginning of each Player Phase (other than the first round of the game), pass the First Player Token to the player to the right.
• Player Turn: During a Player Turn, a player may perform up to four total Actions with their two Heroes. These may be divided any way that the player wishes. For example, a player may have one Hero take all four Actions, or have one Hero take three Actions and the other Hero take one. The same Action may be chosen multiple times.
• Either before or after they perform these Actions, a player may also choose to Attack with one of their Heroes. Players may NOT perform an Attack in the middle of their four player Actions.

Player Actions

A. MOVE: Move one Hero to one adjacent square. A player may not move a Hero through walls or closed doors. If a Hero is moved while in Attack range of non-boss ETs, that Hero will need to Defend against an Attack from those enemies. For more information on defending, see "Ecto-Terrestrial Attacks" (page 26).

Notes on Movement:

1. All movement in the game is done orthogonally. That is, neither Heroes nor ETs can move into a square that is diagonal from its current position. This is also true for Attacking, firing Weapons, interacting with objects (such as picking up Gadget Tokens or opening doors), or Trading Items.
2. Each square has a capacity of four. Non-Boss models (Heroes or ETs) cannot move into a square that is already at capacity, or would be over capacity if that model entered the square.

B. TELEPORT: If a Hero is on a square with an Active Spawn Point, the player may Teleport the Hero to any other Active Spawn Point. However, interdimensional travel is not without its risks! When a Hero Teleports, the Hero must make a Defense roll against 1 incoming damage that is only blocked by a CRIT. If a Hero is Defeated while Teleporting, all effects of the Defeat (such as dropping Objective Tokens held by the Hero) occur at the Spawn Point that was the destination of the Teleportation.

C. STAND UP: Return a Knocked Down Hero to standing. If a player wishes to take an Action with a Knocked Down Hero, they must first spend an Action to stand their hero model up. Knocked Down Heroes may not perform any Actions or Attacks while Knocked Down.

D. USE A GADGET: Choose one of your Heroes to use a Gadget Card, resolve the effects, then discard the Gadget Card.

• Range: Many Gadget Cards have a Range showing how many squares away from your Hero this Gadget can target a square, Hero, or ET. The text will state what the gadget targets.
• Reactions: Some Gadgets are not used as an Action, and are instead used in reaction to another game event. These instances are noted with the word "Reaction" within the text of the Gadget Card.

E. INTERACT: Have one Hero interact with an object in their square. This could be any of the following:

1. PICK UP GADGET: Have a Hero pick up a Gadget Token in that Hero's square.
   • When a Hero picks up a Gadget Token, the player discards the token from the board and draws one Gadget Card from the Gadget Card Deck. A player may hold a maximum of four Gadget Cards at a time, if you draw more immediately discard down to four.
2. PICK UP OBJECTIVE: Some objectives, as described in the scenario, may be collected by a Hero.
   • When a Hero picks up an Objective Token, place the Objective Token onto their Hero Card.
   • If two Heroes are Close (at most 1 square away) and if the players controlling both Heroes agree, a Hero may Pick Up an objective held by another Hero.
3. INTERACT WITH AN OBJECTIVE: Some Objectives in the game represent objects that the Heroes must interact with as described in the Scenario.
4. OPEN A DOOR: A Hero may open a door that is connecting an adjacent square.
   • When a Hero opens a door, flip the Door Token over to the opened side. Once a door is opened, it cannot be closed and models may move through those connected squares.
   • Building Spawn: When a door that leads to an Inactive Spawn Point is opened for the first time, that spawn point becomes Active and enemies will spawn there. See Activating Spawn Points (page 19).

F. STEAL TRAPS OR OBJECTIVES: NOTE: Unlike the other Actions, this Action may ONLY be taken once per turn.

• A Hero attempts to steal Objective Tokens or Traps from another player's Close Hero without their permission. This is accomplished by spending Battery Tokens to overcharge their Hero's Gadget-Snatcher, allowing them to take Traps or Objectives from the other Hero if they win a Bid-Off. If there is a tie during this Bid-Off, the defending player wins the Bid.
• When a Hero Steals Traps from another Hero, they may only Steal as many Traps as their Hero can carry.
• When a Hero Steals an Objective Token, the Objective Token is placed on the Hero Card of the Hero that has stolen the Objective.

F. DOUBLE ATTACK: Spend four Actions to allow both Heroes on your Team to Attack this turn. If both attack the same square this causes "Crossing The Streams" (see page 21).

(The printed rulebook labels both Steal Traps or Objectives and Double Attack as "F"; they are transcribed as printed.)

Activating Spawn Points

An Inactive Spawn Point is a Spawn Point that is inaccessible to the heroes, usually because of closed doors and walls. An Inactive Spawn Point becomes active when a Hero opens a door unblocking that Point to the heroes, flip the token over to its Active side.

When a Spawn Point first becomes Active it will spawn ETs. The player rolls three dice for a 3-4 player session, or two dice for a 1-2 player session. Players will place enemy models that match the PKE symbols onto the Spawn Point. If the ETs spawned would exceed the capacity of the square, place the remaining spawns in an adjacent square of the active player's choice.

If any CRITs are rolled during a Spawn Roll, a Drainer is placed onto the Spawn Point and Tower Dice equal to the number of CRITs rolled are dropped into the Firehouse Tower. Tower Dice may be disturbed and fall out of the Firehouse Tower, causing a Psychokinetic Disruption (see page 25).

Bid-Offs

Through the course of the game, players will sometimes be instructed to perform a Bid-Off.

During a Bid-Off, all players involved will cover up the Battery area of a hero on their Team Dashboard and secretly pick up a number of Battery Tokens.

All Bidding players will then hold the amount of Battery Tokens they have selected in their hands and reveal them simultaneously. The Hero that Bids the most Battery Tokens is the winner. All Battery Tokens used in a Bid by any player involved are then discarded. In a tie that has a defender, the defender wins. In other ties, there is no winner.

Hero Attacks

Either before or after performing your four Actions, a Hero may Attack a target square with one of their Weapons. Attacking does not count as an Action. Only one Hero per Player Turn may perform an Attack unless the Team uses four Actions to perform a Double Attack.

1. The attacking Hero selects one of their equipped Weapons to use.
2. Then select a target square within the Range of the Weapon, as listed on the Weapon Card. Remember Heroes cannot Attack diagonal squares and must Attack in a straight line. Remember: After selecting a square, you can ask other players to team up with you! (See Team-Up Attacks below.)
3. Discard the number of Battery Tokens listed on the Weapon Card from that Hero's Battery Section on their Team's Dashboard. If they lack the required Battery, they cannot use that particular Weapon.
4. Roll Hero Dice equal to the chosen Weapon's Attack number listed on the Weapon Card.
5. Each symbol on the rolled Hero Dice that matches an ET in the target square deals one Wound to a matching ET. Any CRIT symbols rolled during an Attack are considered wild, and may Wound any ET in the targeted square. Place Wound Tokens next to the Wounded ET's equal to the results of the Attack Roll.
   • Note: if you have abilities that reroll dice, you must make all rerolls at the same time.

Every Hero has a Faction ability that helps them attack:

• All MIB Heroes have increased firepower. MIB agents deal two Wounds to an ET when a CRIT is assigned, rather than one.
• Ghostbuster Heroes control the movement of ETs with their proton wands. A Ghostbuster can move non-boss ETs up to one square per Wound dealt by their Attack Roll.

6. When an ET has Wound Tokens equal to their Health, that ET is captured.
   • The ET model is removed from the board.
   • The Attacking Hero gains one Trap Token. If a Hero is already carrying their maximum number of Trap Tokens, a Trap token is not gained.
   • The Hero's team receives points. Defeating Grunts and Shooters award one point each, and defeating a Drainer awards two points.

Example (printed on page 20): Agent K's Attack roll was a Grunt, a Shooter, and a CRIT. In the targeted square, there is a Drainer and a Grunt. Agent K places one Wound on the Grunt for the Grunt symbol. The Shooter symbol is disregarded, as there are no Shooters in the square. Agent K then assigns the CRIT to the Grunt, dealing two additional Wounds. The Grunt now has three Wounds on it, which captures it. The Grunt is removed from the board. Agent K gains one Trap Token and then slides his Team's Point Tracker one space for capturing a Grunt model.

Example (printed on page 20): Ray's Attack roll was a Shooter, a Drainer, and a CRIT. In the targeted square there is a Shooter, a Grunt, and a Drainer. Ray places one Wound on the Shooter due to the Shooter symbol, and may move the Shooter up to one square. Ray places one Wound on the Drainer due to the Drainer symbol, then assigns the CRIT to the Drainer model. Since Ray has done two damage to the Drainer, he is then able to move the Drainer model two squares. Ray did not capture any ETs and does not gain any Trap Tokens or points for his Team in this Attack.

Team-Up Attacks

While the competition for Employee of the Week is fierce, both the Ghostbusters and the MIB will do their utmost to save the world, galaxy, or dimensional plane under any circumstances. If two or more Heroes from the same faction (Ghostbusters or MIB) are eligible to perform an Attack Roll on the same square, they may team up and all Attack that same square simultaneously!

1. Before making the Attack, the active player must request assistance from all other players involved in the Team-Up. Any players who agree will combine their faction-matching Hero's attack.
2. All players in the team-up make their attack rolls.
3. The active player decides how the results of all the dice are allocated to the target square.
4. All participating Teams earn points for any captured ETs, but only the active Team will earn Trap Tokens for these captures.

Crossing the Streams

When EITHER a Team-Up Attack occurs, OR a player performs a Double Attack on the same target square, the Heroes involved have Crossed the Streams, which as everyone knows can lead to total protonic reversal! When this occurs, all models (both Hero and ET) in the target square are Knocked Down in addition to any other effects.

Resting

A player may forfeit their entire turn to allow their Team to resupply and Rest. To Rest, perform the following steps:

1. Return any Defeated Heroes. Bring any Defeated Heroes back onto the board. When a Hero model is returned to the board, they may be placed:
   • At any Start Location.
   • In the same square as another Hero on their Team.
   • In a square adjacent to another Hero on their Team.
   • If both Heroes on a Team are Defeated, those Heroes may only return at one of the Start Locations.
2. Recharge Batteries. Both Heroes on a Team fully recharge their Batteries. Place Battery Tokens equal to each Hero's max Battery in the Battery sections of their Team Dashboard.
3. Turn In Traps. Discard any Trap Tokens carried by Heroes, and gain Points for the Team equal to the Trap Tokens discarded.
4. Gain one Gadget Card.

Solo Play

Ghostbusters x Men in Black: Ecto-Terrestrial Invasion can be played by a single player with the following changes:

Setup: Remove the Hot Sheets and Gadget cards marked for 2+ players only. You may place your two heroes in different starting locations.

Actions: Each turn, you receive 6 actions instead of 4.

New Action: Single Hero Rest. You may spend 3 actions to rest a single hero on your team. That hero cannot attack or have already attacked this turn. When taking a single hero rest, choose a hero, then follow all the steps of resting for your chosen Hero. Do not draw a Gadget card.

Note: a double attack is four actions, so when playing solo, you may double attack and still take two additional actions.

Bid-Offs: To win a bid-off, your Heroes must bid 2 or more batteries.

Performance Bonuses: If you won the scenario, you receive $4 + $1 for every five points you have earned, rounded down. If the dastardly Ecto-Terrestrials bested the Heroes, you receive $6. Shuffle the Disastrous Hot Sheets and add one Disastrous Hot Sheets Card to the Hot Sheets Deck. This card remains in the Hot Sheets Deck for the remainder of the Campaign.

Hot Sheets Phase

New York City is an exciting and eventful place, especially during an Ecto-Terrestrial invasion! These events are represented by the Hot Sheets Deck and Dashboard. Each Hot Sheets Phase first Check The Hot Sheets then Check PKE Levels.

Check the Hot Sheets

1. The first player reveals and reads aloud one Hot Sheets Card from the top of the Hot Sheets Deck.
2. Resolve the effects of the Hot Sheets Card.
   • Only heroes currently on the board are affected by Hot Sheets.
   • Some Hot Sheets Cards affect multiple Heroes, or sometimes even all Heroes. These effects are resolved in turn order.
   • Some Hot Sheet Cards give players a choice between two possible outcomes. If a player is unable to fulfill one of the choices, that player must fulfill the other option.
   • Many Hot Sheets Cards affect the MIB or Ghostbusters Hero with the most points. If the player with the Employee of the Week Badge doesn't have the required Hero on the board, the effect then passes to the Hero that fits the description on the Team with the next-highest point total. If there is a tie in points, the player that is higher in the turn order will be affected.
   • If there is a tie during a Bid-Off triggered by a Hot Sheets Card, then there is no winner and the effect from the Hot Sheets Card is ignored.
3. Increase the PKE Levels: Each Hot Sheets Card displays the PKE symbol of one or more ETs. Move the tracker matching the PKE Symbol(s) on the Hot Sheets card up one space to represent spikes in PKE activity.
4. Place the Hot Sheets Card in the Hot Sheets Discard section of the Hot Sheets Dashboard.
5. In a 4 Player game, draw a second Hot Sheets card and repeat steps 1-4.
6. If any Heroes were Defeated due to the effects of a Hot Sheets Card and for each Wound Token on the Hot Sheets deck, draw one additional Hot Sheets Card. Resolve the effects of each Hot Sheets Card repeating steps 1-4.

Check PKE Levels

If any of the PKE trackers reached level 3, another explosion occurs at the Firehouse Tower. The player with the lowest points pulls out one Panel from the top of the Firehouse Tower for each PKE Tracker that has reached level 3.

Tower Dice may be disturbed and fall out of the Firehouse Tower, causing a Psychokinetic Disruption. Once all Ship Panel pulls are completed, reset all PKE trackers to 0.

Psychokinetic Disruptions

Psychokinetic Energy from the Ghostbusters' ruined machine continues to spawn new Ecto-Terrestrials. If Tower Dice fall from the Firehouse Tower for any reason during the game (even the clumsiness of the players!), the game is paused and a Psychokinetic Disruption occurs.

Starting with the player with the lowest score (ties are broken by turn order) and moving clockwise, each player chooses one of the Tower Dice that fell and spawns an ET model matching the result onto any Active Spawn Points (without exceeding the square's capacity), then places the Tower Dice aside next to the Firehouse Tower. If a player chooses a Spawn Die with the CRIT result, that player places one Drainer model onto any Active Spawn point and drops that Tower Die back into the Tower. This, in turn, may cause more Tower Dice to fall out of the Firehouse Tower.

The players repeat this process until all Tower Dice from the Psychokinetic Disruption are resolved.

Insufficient ET Models: If for any reason you need to spawn an ET onto the board and you don't have any more of that miniature available, because they are already all in play, increase the corresponding PKE tracker instead.

Ecto-Terrestrial Phase

1. Ecto-Terrestrial Movement: Move each ET one square towards the closest Hero.
   • If two Heroes belonging to a single player are equally close, that player decides which Hero the ETs moves towards. That player makes all decisions for the ET's movement.
   • If two Heroes belonging to different players are equally close, then ETs will move towards the Hero on the Team with the higher point total.
   • If both Heroes are equally close and the Teams are tied in points, the ETs will move towards the Hero that is higher in the turn order.
   • If an ET cannot move closer to the closest Hero (because of space capacity, walls, closed doors, etc), then the ET will not move.
   • Reminder: Neither Heroes nor ETs may move or Attack diagonally.
   • (The printed page 26 shows an ET Targeting diagram with the labels "Closest Hero", "Highest Points" and "Highest in Turn Order".)
2. Ecto-Terrestrial Attacks: After all ETs have moved, they Attack the Heroes. Each ET will attempt to Attack the closest Hero that is within range. If the closest Hero is tied between two Heroes, use the same tie breaker criteria as in "Ecto-Terrestrial Movement" seen above. Where possible, ETs Attack as a group. All ETs that are assigned to Attack a given Hero do so at once. To resolve an ET attack:
   • Add up the total number of ETs attacking a Hero. Each ET in a given Attack deals one Wound to the Defending Hero.
   • A Hero will attempt to defend themself by performing a Defense Roll. The player of the Hero being Attacked rolls Hero Dice equal to that Hero's Defense statistic, as listed on their Hero card and modified by their Equipment.
   • Each symbol on the rolled Hero Dice that matches an Attacking ET prevents one incoming damage of that ET's type. CRIT symbols rolled on a Defense Roll are wild, and prevent one damage from any ET type. Note: if players have abilities that reroll dice, you must make all rerolls at the same time.
   • Heroes receive wound tokens equal to the incoming damage they have not prevented. If a Hero's wounds equal or exceed their health they are defeated (see "Hero Defeat" below).

Ecto-Terrestrials

There are three basic Ecto-Terrestrials, each with different Attacks and health.

• Grunt: Grunts have 3 Health, award 1 point when defeated, and attack Heroes that are one square away or closer.
• Shooter: Shooters have 2 Health, award 1 point when defeated, and attack Heroes two squares away or closer.
• Drainer: Drainers have 4 Health, award 2 points when defeated, and attack Heroes one square away or closer. In addition, Drainers also automatically drain one Battery from the Hero they Attack. That Hero discards one Battery Token, regardless of whether or not the Attack damage was blocked.

Boss Enemies

There are three Boss Episodes through the course of the game, each with a Boss that attacks, defends and moves in a unique way. The rules for each Boss are spelled out in the Episode in the Campaign Book in which they are featured.

• Boss Movement:
  • Boss models occupy an entire square on their own (counts as space capacity 4).
  • Bosses can move to a square that is already at capacity.
  • If a Boss model attempts to enter a square containing Basic ET models, all Basic ET models are moved one square in the direction chosen by the player with the lowest point total (or the player that is lowest in the turn order if there is a tie).
  • When a Boss model enters a square containing one or more Heroes, each Hero must move one square away in the direction chosen by that Hero's player. If a Boss enters a square with both ETs and Heroes, the Heroes are moved first, and then the ETs follow based on the above directions.
• Boss Traits:
  • Bosses cannot be Knocked Down.
  • Many Equipment, Gadget, and Special Abilities will specify that they only work on "non-Boss ETs" so be sure to read carefully.
  • Most Bosses have a damage track on their Boss Card. Use a Wound Token to mark their damage on this track.

End of Round

At the end of each round check the "Win and Failure conditions" listed for the Episode being played. If neither condition is met, the players begin another round, starting once again with the Player Phase. If either condition is met go to "End of Episode" below.

Employee of the Week Badge (End of Round)

This badge is given to the player with the most points at a given time. When a player passes the score of the current holder of the badge, it is passed to the new leader. If the Heroes win, the player that holds the Employee of the Week badge when the Episode ends has earned bragging rights over the other players.

Hero Defeat

If a Hero receives Wound Tokens equal to their maximum Health, then that Hero has been Defeated. But fear not! The scientists at MIB have a revolutionary Quick-Clone system, allowing any Defeated agents on the field to be quickly cloned and put back into action. When a Hero has been Defeated, a player will follow these steps:

1. Remove the Hero model from the board and place it on their Team Dashboard.
2. Place any Objective Tokens that Hero was carrying on the square where the Hero was Defeated.
3. Discard all Trap Tokens carried by the Hero, all of the ETs that Hero had previously captured now escape! Drop Tower Dice into the Firehouse Tower equal to the number of Trap Tokens discarded. This may cause a Psychokinetic Disruption.
4. The player loses two points from their Team Point tracker.
5. Place a Wound Token on top of the Hot Sheet Deck. In the next Hot Sheets Phase, reveal and resolve one extra Hot Sheets Card for each Wound Token.

End of Episode

An Episode ends in one of two ways:

• The Heroes win immediately when they complete the Episode's specific objectives.
• Zorg and his ETs win at the end of any round if all Ship Panels are removed from the Firehouse Tower, or when an Episode's rules state that the Heroes have failed.

Campaign Performance Bonuses

When an Episode ends, all Teams receive payment based on their performance. This money will be used to purchase new Weapons and Equipment before their next Episode.

If the intrepid Heroes saved the day and won the Episode, then the best teams receive Performance Bonuses!

1. The Team with Employee of the Week receives $10 in currency.
2. The Team with the second-most points receives $8 in currency. If there is a tie for second-most points, then all tied Teams receive $7 in currency.
3. All remaining Teams receive $6 in currency.

If the dastardly Ecto-Terrestrials bested the Heroes, all Teams receive $6. Shuffle the Disastrous Hot Sheets and add one Disastrous Hot Sheets Card to the Hot Sheets Deck. This card remains in the Hot Sheets Deck for the remainder of the Campaign.

Gaining New Weapons and Equipment

After resolving the effects of winning or losing an Episode, the Heroes return to the MIB headquarters to purchase new Weapons and Equipment before moving onto the next Episode.

1. Setting up shop: Draw four Weapon Cards from the Weapon Deck matching the level of the Episode that was just completed, and six Equipment Cards from the matching Equipment Deck. Lay these cards out on the table. This comprises the shop, which all Teams may purchase Weapons and Equipment from.
2. Purchasing items: Starting with the Team with the fewest points, each player may purchase one Weapon or Equipment card for their Team, using the money earned from the just completed Episode. Once the first Team has purchased a Weapon or Equipment Card, priority passes clockwise to the next player to purchase an item. Shopping continues until either all cards have been purchased, or no Team has sufficient currency to purchase any of the remaining cards. Any remaining Weapons or Equipment are returned to the deck, and any remaining money is discarded.

The Next Episode

There are two types of Episodes found in the Campaign Book: Basic Episodes and Boss Episodes. At each Level of the Campaign (1, 2 and 3), the players have a choice between two different Basic Episodes.

If the players just completed a Basic Episode, for the next Episode they will take on that level's Boss! If the players just completed a Boss Episode, for the next Episode they will choose a Basic Episode of the next level.

The campaign culminates in the Final Battle, the Level 3 Boss Episode, which features a greater threat than either the Ghostbusters or the MIB have faced before!

(The printed page 30 shows the Episode map: Episode 1A or 1B, then Episode 1 Boss, then Episode 2A or 2B, then Episode 2 Boss, then Episode 3A or 3B, then Episode 3 Boss.)

Saving Your Campaign

In between episodes, after gaining new weapons and equipment, you can easily put away your game and be ready to continue the campaign at a later time.

1. Remember or note down which Episode you just finished.
2. Have each player place their Hero Cards, Weapon Cards, and Equipment Cards into a plastic baggie.
3. Put away the game as normal.
4. When you are ready to continue your campaign, during Setup give each player their baggie of cards.

One-Shot Episodes / Skipping Ahead

Although "MIB X Ghostbusters: Ecto-Terrestrial Invasion" is intended to be played as a full Campaign, players have the option to skip ahead and play each Episode as a One-Shot play session. When starting a new Episode as a One-Shot, add these additional steps to setup:

1. Choose the Episode to be played.
2. Collect one Ghostbusters Weapon Card per player from the Weapons deck matching the level of the Episode Level previous to the chosen Episode. Shuffle the collected Weapon Cards and deal one to each player.
3. Repeat step one using the MIB Weapon deck.

Example: If playing a Level 3 Episode, the players would draw from the Level 2 Weapons deck. If playing the Level 3 Boss, players draw Level 3 cards.

4. Draw three Equipment Cards per player from the Equipment deck that matches the Weapon deck used. Shuffle the Equipment Cards and deal them out equally to each player.
5. If playing Episode 1A or 1B, no Weapons or Equipment will be drawn, and each Hero will start with that Hero's Starting Weapon.

Keywords

• Active Spawn Point: a Spawn Point Token that is not blocked from the Heroes by closed doors.
• Close: in a model's square or 1 orthogonal square away.
• Knocked Down: When a Hero or enemy is Knocked Down, that model is placed on its side. A Knocked Down Hero drops any Objective Tokens carried onto their square. A player must spend one Action to stand up a Hero before performing any other Actions with that Hero. Heroes cannot Attack while Knocked Down. Knocked Down ETs do not Attack Heroes moving to squares near them. During the ET Phase, all Knocked Down ETs do not activate. They stand up after all other ETs have activated.
• Line of Sight: Line of Sight refers to any square in a straight line that is not blocked by a square fully occupied by models and is not blocked by walls.
• Slimed: A Hero that has been Slimed has a Slimed Token placed on their Hero Card. Slimed Heroes cannot Attack. At the end of a player's turn, any Slimed Tokens are removed from their Heroes.
• Reaction: some Gadgets are reactions and can be played in response to a specific event in the game. Playing a reaction Gadget is not an action.

Sequence of Play

1. Player Phase: Pass First Player Token to the left (unless first round). May skip turn to Rest.
   • Attack: Once per turn, BEFORE or AFTER Actions are taken (don't forget to ask for a Team-Up!)
   • Actions (4 total): Move (might trigger ET attacks); Teleport (from Active to another); Stand Up (if knocked down); Use a Gadget; Interact (Pick up Gadget, Pick up Objective, Interact with Objective, Open a Door); Steal Traps or Objectives (one attempt per turn); Double Attack (four actions).
   • After all players have taken their turn.
2. Hot Sheets Phase: Reveal one Hot Sheet Card, resolve effects. Reveal a second Hot Sheet in a 4 player game. Check PKE Levels (if any track is at 3, pull a ship panel for each).
3. Ecto-Terrestrial Phase: Boss Actions (see Boss Card); each ET moves one square towards closest Hero; each ET attacks (if within range) for 1 damage. Begin Player Phase if neither win or failure conditions are met.
   • If conditions met, End of Episode: if the Heroes won, the team with Employee of the Week gains $10, the team with the second-most points gains $8, and the remaining teams gain $6. If the Heroes failed, each team gains $6, and add a Disastrous Hot Sheet to the Hot Sheet Deck. Create a market of 4 Weapon Cards and 6 Equipment Cards from the decks that match the level of the Episode just completed. Starting with the player with the least points, purchase equipment and weapons.

Quick Reference (Summary Card Text)

• Attack (once per turn, before or after Actions): Player selects Hero. Hero selects one equipped Weapon and attacks target square within range. Spend Battery tokens to activate Weapon. Roll dice equal to Weapon Attack number. For each matching icon, deal 1 wound to a corresponding ET; CRIT may damage any ET. Double Attack: spend all 4 actions to attack with both Heroes. Team-Up Attacks: if two or more Heroes of the same faction are within range, they may team up and attack the same square. Cross the Streams: if EITHER a Double Attack targeting the same square OR a Team-Up Attack occurs, ALL models in the target square are Knocked Down.
• Defending (page 26): Total incoming attack equals the number of ETs within attack range. Hero makes a Defense roll. Each unblocked attack deals 1 damage to the defending Hero.
• Hero Defeat (page 28): Remove Hero from board and place on player dashboard. Discard all Trap tokens carried by Hero; drop a Tower Die for each discarded Trap. Place any picked up Objective tokens in the square last occupied by the Hero. Lose two points. Place a Wound token on the Hot Sheets Deck.
• Resting (page 22): Return any Defeated Heroes to the Starting square, a teammate's square, or a square adjacent to a teammate. Each Hero on team gains up to max Battery capacity. Turn in Traps (1 point per trap discarded). Gain 1 Gadget Card.